Sustainable Development: Theory, Research and Policy

Spring 2004

Every morning and evening, women from the village walk hundreds of meters to the well to bring back drinking water for their families. Water for cooking and drinking is stored in matkas, which were originally terracotta jars, as pictured in the background. Steel matkas, as the one the girl is carrying, are also commonly used these days. Photo taken on a farm outside Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India. (Photo courtesy of Shreyans Bhansali [thebigdurian].)

Course Highlights

This course features lecture notes and the mid-term in the exams section.

Course Description

This course examines alternative conceptions and theoretical underpinnings of the notion of "sustainable development." It focuses on the sustainability problems of industrial countries (i.e., aging of populations, sustainable consumption, institutional adjustments, etc.); and of developing states and economies in transition (i.e., managing growth, sustainability of production patterns, pressures of population change, etc.). It also explores the sociology of knowledge around sustainability, the economic and technological dimensions and institutional imperatives along with implications for political constitution of economic performance.

Syllabus

Overview

This course examines alternative conceptions and theoretical underpinnings of the notion of "sustainable development." It focuses on the sustainability problems of industrial countries (i.e., aging of populations, sustainable consumption, institutional adjustments, etc.); and of developing states and economies in transition (i.e., managing growth, sustainability of production patterns, pressures of population change, etc.). It also explores the sociology of knowledge around sustainability, the economic and technological dimensions and institutional imperatives along with implications for political constitution of economic performance.

17.181 fulfills the undergraduate public policy requirement in the major and minor. Graduate students are expected to explore the subject in greater depth through reading and individual research (17.182).

Holdren, John P., and R. K. Pachauri. "Energy." In An Agenda of Science for Environment and Development into the 21st Century by the International Council of Scientific Unions. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1992, pp. 103-111.

Sands, Philippe. "International Law in the Field of Sustainable Development: Emerging Legal Principles." In Sustainable Development and International Law. Edited by Winfried Lang. New York, NY: Springer, 1995, pp. 53-66. ISBN: 9781859661796.

Sand, Peter H. "Trusts for the Earth: New International Financial Mechanisms for Sustainable Development." In Sustainable Development and International Law. Edited by Winfried Lang. New York, NY: Springer, 1995, pp. 167-184. ISBN: 9781859661796.